Tap the text to show or hide reading controls.
Used to such reactions, the Countess gave a casual smile and continued.
“Please, come inside. Ah… how long has it been since we’ve had outsiders? I’m eager to hear your story.”
Arianne forced the look of having much to say off her face and replied that we would. She seemed to have remembered the request to act friendly so as not to put the Countess on guard. Led to the parlor, we sat huddled together on the sofas and began a serious conversation. Currently, we were dressed in simplified travel attire for our long journey, making it difficult to distinguish our affiliations at a glance. The protagonist explained our presence to the Countess by showing the crests of the Imperial Family and the Church. He also gave a rough summary of the situation outside the mansion.
“I see. So the outside is already…”
Acting as the eldest, Kalat spoke up as the representative.
“What happened with the barrier?”
The Countess hid her trembling hands behind her back as she answered.
“I was lucky. It was thanks to a certain device my husband received during his lifetime.”
“A device?”
Ilian asked for a more detailed explanation. The Countess shook her head and replied.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t know much about it myself. I barely survived because I happened to be inside the mansion, but I’ve been isolated here, unable to step outside.”
A device. She must be referring to a Holy Relic, just as Kalat and Ilian suspected. From my memory, the Holy Relic that the Church eventually recovers from this mansion is…
It was something like that.
“I tried to evacuate the people of the territory to our mansion as quickly as possible, but… it was already… already too late… sob…”
“Ah, I see. You can put your worries aside now. We can rescue you.”
“R-really?”
The Countess didn’t hide her surprise. To an observer, it might have looked like joy, but in reality, she was likely flustered by this unexpected “salvation.”
“Of course.”
We informed her that, considering the distance and safety, we could take four or five people out per day.
“Then, please send my employees out first.”
“Pardon? What about you, Countess?”
“I will go last. I want to take responsibility for this mansion until the very end.”
-Someone like this can’t be a bad person.
-Maybe the Saintess made a mistake this time?
-No, she’s suspicious as hell. These people are all blinded by her looks.
It wasn’t just the viewers who were blinded; Kalat’s eyes were sparkling as he sang her praises, calling her mindset magnificent. He prattled on about how Ralphican would surely find the Lady commendable.
“Since it’s late, please rest comfortably…”
“Ah, thank you for your consideration.”
After being served a light snack, we were shown to our respective rooms. Of course, we had to gather in my room for a strategy meeting. Ilian, who had yielded the chairs to Arianne and Kalat, leaned his shoulder against the bookshelf and spoke mysteriously.
“She doesn’t seem to be in much of a hurry, does she?”
The protagonist also leaned his back against the wall and replied.
“Indeed. If it were me, I’d be in a panic, begging to be let out this instant.”
“I feel the same way.”
“I noticed while coming and going, even though it’s total chaos outside, they seem to be living their lives no differently than usual.”
Kalat seemed to find the attitude of the mansion’s employees questionable as well. They certainly possessed a level of politeness and composure that didn’t suit a disaster situation.
“I thought you’d lost your mind over the Countess’s beauty, but I see you were actually paying attention.”
Kalat laughed awkwardly at Ilian’s sarcasm.
“Well, you told me to act naturally… haha…”
-LOL.
-Ah, this is like “mirror therapy”
After quickly finishing his excuse, Kalat turned the conversation back to the main topic.
“But does this make sense? How can they be so nonchalant? Food supplies must be limited, and above all, they have no communication with the outside world, yet they aren’t even anxious?”
“Honestly, if we pointed out every single strange thing, it would take all day. The way they flung the doors open for us despite the situation, and let us in without even properly verifying our identities—all of it.”
Arianne thought for a moment before turning to Ilian and Kalat.
“By the way, is it impossible to move the Holy Relic in this mansion? If we could carry a barrier the size of a mansion with us, it would make our investigation much easier.”
It was a good idea, but if that were possible, the rank of the Holy Relic I was carrying would have been Rank F, not Rank A. The scale of the barrier from the Golden Crown of Ludvican protecting this place was remarkable, but that range was only possible because it was a stationary relic.
“I believe it’s the type of Holy Relic that only takes effect once it’s installed somewhere. Besides, even if it weren’t, I wouldn’t recommend touching it. It would be a catastrophe if it accidentally turned off because we messed with it.”
Arianne looked disappointed as Ilian gave a roundabout warning that they’d all die if they touched it. As the conversation kept drifting, the protagonist reminded us of the investigation team’s purpose.
“It’s a bit of a makeshift approach, but since the situation keeps changing, we have no choice. Shall we set a plan for now?”
Arianne was the first to offer an opinion.
“I think we should move forward under the assumption that everyone down to the employees in this mansion is in league with the Countess.”
“Given the abnormal atmosphere of the mansion, that sounds right.”
Next was Ilian.
“Also, it would be better to stay in the mansion and discreetly gather evidence rather than asking outright.”
-Infiltration investigation, whoa.
-Suddenly it’s a detective story.
“Are you worried about the destruction of evidence?”
“They might already be in the process of destroying it. According to Sir Hereis and Sir Arianne, her collusion with the Kingdom of Brishwin has already been discovered by the Imperial Family, hasn’t it?”
“Using demonic contamination to prevent anyone from approaching the mansion… It seems too extreme just to hide a case of collusion.”
“Exactly. That means there must be something big enough to justify acting like this.”
-Wait, she killed all those people just to cover her tracks?
-That is terrifying.
-To the person who said they liked the Countess earlier: have you come to your senses yet?
-Yes… I am wide awake now.
The viewers were getting close to the truth. Since things had progressed this far, I could afford to reveal a bit more. Tomorrow morning, I’d just pretend to have had a dream and subtly guide the next course of action.
“For now, we’ll have to look through the mansion while keeping an eye on the situation.”
“Should we consider our time limit to be… until the Saintess has sent out all the employees?”
No, I didn’t plan on dragging it out that long. Since I needed to “have a dream” anyway, I decided it was time to suggest we all get some sleep. I was exhausted, too.
Kalat kept pestering me with nitpicky questions—asking for more details, asking if the dinner we just ate was safe, asking if he could even drink the water—until Ilian finally snapped at him. Thanks to Arianne dragging him out, I was finally able to be alone.
‘Of course, I can’t sleep.’
I was lying on quite luxurious bedding, but my mind was restless.
‘Unless you’ve got nerves of steel, it’s hard to fall asleep in the house of a massacre perpetrator who murdered her own people.’
It felt like I’d walked straight into a haunted mountain villa with a killer on the loose. I was certain the others had gone to their rooms only to stay wide awake as well.
‘I should try to get at least some sleep, though.’
But before I slept, I had things to consider. I needed to plan how to uncover the mansion’s secrets in a way that felt natural—or rather, “Saintess-like.” Oh, and I had to resolve the demonic contamination, too.
‘What should I do first?’
The top priority was to keep Arianne and the protagonist apart. Even though a heavy main story was underway, I couldn’t forget that this was a dating sim world.
‘The story carries a lot of weight for a dating sim, but still…’
It felt like a fantasy mystery with a sprinkle of romance simulation on top. Of course, since the format was taken directly from a dating sim, the protagonist’s life changed based on affection levels, making affection management a crucial part of the game.
‘Affection. Come to think of it, when is the protagonist’s affection going to be registered?’
People I’d met much later than him were being registered one after another, yet there was no word from the most important person.
‘Do I need to trigger more “lovey-dovey” events?’
Well, I only needed to keep the protagonist’s affection high enough for necessary events or choices to appear. My job was simply to solidify Belita’s position as a heroine in the eyes of the viewers and Mo Je-won. After all, Mo Je-won was the one who would ultimately choose who to marry. The problem was that since his affection wasn’t displayed as a number, I couldn’t gauge whether it was high or low… I’d just have to proceed by grabbing whatever points I could.
Knock, knock—
…? Someone knocked on my door.
“It’s me.”
It was a frail, elegant voice. A voice with this kind of aura…
‘It can only be the Countess of Garain.’
Why on earth was she at my room? I desperately wanted to call for Arianne or the protagonist, but if I acted too sensitive and she turned defensive, it would be troublesome. I had three knights around to protect me.
‘Surely nothing will happen.’
When I opened the door, the Countess was indeed standing there.
“May I come in?”
After a one-sided notification, the Countess entered the room and closed the door. She then stared intently at my face for a long while without saying a word.
“Um, what business do you have with me…?”
“I thought I’d seen wrong. But I didn’t, did I?”
“Pardon?”
“Belita. Why are you here?”
…?
‘What? Don’t tell me Belita and the Countess knew each other?’
The Countess looked at me strangely as I stood there in shock.
‘I can’t exactly claim amnesia here.’
If I kept talking, I might pick up hints about their relationship. It was best to act as naturally as possible. I closed my hanging jaw and quickly composed my expression.
“What are you doing here? Did you follow them as a servant?”
The Countess crossed her arms and snapped at me.
“Ah. Right. They said the investigation team needed someone to handle chores. Haha…”
“I see. That’s how it is. I heard some interesting news recently. That ‘Oath’—was that your handiwork?”
The Oath? Did she mean the Oath of Innocence? What did that have to do with the Countess? I had no choice but to stay silent at the incomprehensible question.
“…”
“Sigh… You finally drove Sera to her death. Why did you do it?”
…!
She knew Sera? And she thought Belita intentionally killed her? Wait, more importantly, Belita and Sera knew each other from the start?
‘Actually, back in the prologue, Sera did act like she knew Belita in the dungeon.’
Sera, the Countess, the dungeon… the pieces were starting to click.
“Exactly. You should’ve crawled before My Lady sooner. You think you’re something just because you’re a bit pretty? That’s what happens when you wag your tail beyond your station.”
Sera had definitely said those words in the dungeon. Could it be that the “Lady” she was referring to… was the woman standing right in front of me?
Affection? Wait, she’s not on—no, click ‘See More’!
Negative one hundred and ten. That was a number where it wouldn’t be strange if she tried to kill me right this second…
“Did I ask a question that’s difficult to answer?”
Ding!
I’m actually going crazy here.
Reading Settings
The Gloomy Maid in the Teen Romance Simulation Game is Actually A Guy
Chapter 33 / 112